5. Mistakes to avoid

5.1 Do not exceed 30 elements per BPMN model

Feedback shows that models with a high number of BPMN elements (over 25 or 30) are more difficult to grasp visually, and are more prone to syntax errors that violate BPMN rules at runtime.

An elegant way of reducing the number of elements in a model is to look for parts of the activity chain that can be the subject of sub-processes integrated into the overall process, thus reducing the number of elements in the process, but increasing the number of levels in the tree structure.